4 New HDV cameras from Sony

Hi everybody. I new to posting here but have been lurking (reading) for well over a year. I find this a great site and full of info. Sorry I don't have anything as great to share with you.I've been watching about the FX-7 like others on this site and out of no where I see this one the HC-7 Sony HDR-HC7SpecsIt has a 1/2.9 3200 cmos sensor. It has a lot of nicer specs over the HC-3It's minimum lux is 2 , The HC-3 has a min Lux of 5, the FX-1 has a min Lux of 3 and the Fx-7 has a min lux of 4I thought I would pass this along to you guys. I would like to upgrade but just not sure if I want a camera and housing that weights 40 or 50 pounds to shoot for fun. This will be interesting to watch for a small light weight camera.Thanks for your timeDave

By the way 'HeavyD'... Now that you found love..What ARE you going to do about it...

I guess I'll have to post more. Dean . Still I come hear to learn from the masters. I think this is one of the best underwater video forums on the net. The info and reviews you guys do is the best. At least it is for me as hobbiest that shoots only for fun.

I sure would like to see the HDR-HC7 tested in a Amphibico EVO, This could be a nice travel camera which I'm looking for. Wagsy's review on the EVO was just fantastic and shows you can shoot great vids with smaller cameras.

Yeah, i too noticed the one touch white balance and got excited thinking that it might have a dedicated button, but no! Touch screen again. Good ol' L & M will no doubt do a work around. I feel sorry for the housing manufacturers always trying to keep up. The 2 lux seems promising. Did anyone note the size of the sensor.......

I'm definately looking seriously now at the FX7. In fact i'm reaching for the wallet.............. had a 30 minute chat with Amphibico earlier in the week here in the UK. They didn't have any more details over and above the website. I shall have to hang on! No doubt they will release more info and have better pictures soon (currently only 3D computer images at the mo). Anyone wanna buy my TRV950 bluefin system!

Yeah, i too noticed the one touch white balance and got excited thinking that it might have a dedicated button, but no! Touch screen again. Good ol' L & M will no doubt do a work around. I feel sorry for the housing manufacturers always trying to keep up. The 2 lux seems promising. Did anyone note the size of the sensor.......

I'm definately looking seriously now at the FX7. In fact i'm reaching for the wallet.............. had a 30 minute chat with Amphibico earlier in the week here in the UK. They didn't have any more details over and above the website. I shall have to hang on! No doubt they will release more info and have better pictures soon (currently only 3D computer images at the mo). Anyone wanna buy my TRV950 bluefin system!

Apparently the 2 LUX is some clever wording by Sony. All previous cameras were rated at 1/60 shutter speed, where as the new crops use 1/30th shutter speed for the new ratings....

"All of the new models exhibit excellent low-light performance with a new auto slow shutter feature, which automatically reduces shutter speeds to 1/30 sec (minimum) in order to capture brighter images. These camcorders can shoot clear, detailed video in dark environments as low as two lux."

Wow, if that's right that doesn't make the low-light cababilities sound as great as they originally did. Wouldn't that equal about 4 lux at 1/60th in round numbers? Still, it's a nice feature to utilize lower light even if the shutter speed drops to do it; you dont have to go to "NS" mode or something like that. And the cameras have a lot of other nice capabilities and features that have been added. It seems that there was a focus ring on the 7 but not on the 5, although I haven't seen this verified definitively.

These look like great cameras, but does anyone have extensive experience producing with AVCHD format? I've heard that AVCHD is intended more for DVD production and is more consumer friendly. I bought a used HC1 specifically because it was HDV (that and it had a few more features than the HC3 or SR1). I know that HDV can be difficult to produce at times, but I don't want to sacrifice quality for convenience. Anyone working AVCHD now?